John Frusciante has historically been a fairly restrained guitar hero, but he totally lets loose on Red Hot Chili Peppers' new singe "Eddie," which is a wistful tribute to late guitarist Eddie Van Halen.
The song begins with a few seconds of bass-and-guitar downstrokes that are basically identical to 2002 hit "By the Way" — but this quickly shifts into a mid-tempo new wave groove with slippery riffs and singer Anthony Kiedis crooning references to the Sunset Strip and "Hot for Teacher." In the second half of the six-minute track, Frusciante takes over, shredding a guitar solo that grows increasingly intense, technical and psychedelic.
On RHCP's social media, Kiedis wrote, "Sometimes we don't realize how deeply affected and connected we are to artists until the day they die. Eddie Van Halen was a one of a kind. The day after his death Flea came into rehearsal with an emotional bassline. John, Chad and I started playing along and pretty soon with all our hearts, a song in his honor effortlessly unfolded. It felt good to be sad and care so much about a person who had given so much to our lives. Although the song doesn't speak to Eddie by name, it talks about his early days on the Sunset Strip and the rock n roll tapestry that Van Halen painted on our minds. In the end, our song asks that you not remember Eddie for dying but for living his wildest dream."
Hear the song below. RHCP's second album of 2022, Return of the Dream Canteen, comes out on October 14. It follows this spring's Unlimited Love.
The song begins with a few seconds of bass-and-guitar downstrokes that are basically identical to 2002 hit "By the Way" — but this quickly shifts into a mid-tempo new wave groove with slippery riffs and singer Anthony Kiedis crooning references to the Sunset Strip and "Hot for Teacher." In the second half of the six-minute track, Frusciante takes over, shredding a guitar solo that grows increasingly intense, technical and psychedelic.
On RHCP's social media, Kiedis wrote, "Sometimes we don't realize how deeply affected and connected we are to artists until the day they die. Eddie Van Halen was a one of a kind. The day after his death Flea came into rehearsal with an emotional bassline. John, Chad and I started playing along and pretty soon with all our hearts, a song in his honor effortlessly unfolded. It felt good to be sad and care so much about a person who had given so much to our lives. Although the song doesn't speak to Eddie by name, it talks about his early days on the Sunset Strip and the rock n roll tapestry that Van Halen painted on our minds. In the end, our song asks that you not remember Eddie for dying but for living his wildest dream."
Hear the song below. RHCP's second album of 2022, Return of the Dream Canteen, comes out on October 14. It follows this spring's Unlimited Love.
